12/15/2009

First Direct

First Direct is a telephone and internet based division of HSBC Bank. It is only available for UK residents and not any other countries. The bank is based at two main call centres, one in Leeds, and one in Hamilton. Although Leeds handles risk assessment and some processing roles, the call centre in Hamilton is larger.

The business provides many services including:

Bank Accounts: Customers can open up a bank account with them. Mortgage: The bank will help customers to pay their mortgage, by lending them the money they need. First Direct will need to make sure the customers will be able to pay them back. Loans: Customers can take out a loan from the bank, ensuring they are able to pay back the money to the bank. Insurance: The bank provides life, car, home and travel insurance. This is if anything were to happen to the person while they are travelling, driving, or at home and if anything gets damaged or lost (e.g. car, home, or luggage), the bank can pay for the damage. Savings: Customer can open a savings account, if they need to save money for something.

As First Direct is a telephone based company, it differs from other banks because there are people answering the phone calls instead of machines. The bank has also won awards for its excellence in call centres. It received 'best call centre in the UK' award in 2008. First direct is all about customer service. There has been a high amount of customer satisfaction about the bank. This may also be because it carries out projects to help the environment and supports childline.

The Bank also has advantages such as receiving £100 pounds when you join.